Today we drove from Holbrook AZ to Mesa Verde NP in southern Colorado. We first drove through a bit of the Petrified Forest NP and then crossed the state line into New Mexico. We turned north just before Gallup and drove through Shiprock. Near Shiprock there are an amazing amount of towering rock formations that seem to shoot out of the ground and into the sky. Most of them are on the Navajo reservation. We got to the entrance to the park about 2 pm and started climbing up and up into the park. we reached the lodge about 3 pm and checked in.
Our balcony at the lodge has a wonderful view of the east side of the park. I'm an anxious to go exploring tomorrow and our first taste of the cliff dwellings will be a 9am tour of Balcony House. It’s listed as “strenuous” so im a bit worried about climbing ladders and crawling through holes to see the dwelling. We’ll see what tomorrow will bring.
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